Keep fighting for a cleaner French Broad

In response to a recent front-page story in this newspaper about the French Broad River's lingering appearance on the list of North Carolina impaired waterways, one local wag commented something along these lines: "Well, with all the breweries popping up all over the place these days, it's no wonder the river's impaired."

And while we appreciate a good pun as much as anyone, the fact that a portion of Western North Carolina's primary river remains in a state of environmental concern is no laughing matter. Neither is the reality that nearly 15 other streams in the mountain region have been added to the 2014 list of waterways that fail to meet state water quality standards.

Known as the 303(d) list and compiled by the N.C. Division of Water Resources, the inventory of impaired rivers included the mighty French Broad for the first time in 2012, the last year that water quality data was collected. The federal Clean Water Act requires states to conduct environmental testing every two years.

The portion of the French Broad River that is yet again not meeting state water quality standards is an 8.2-mile stretch that begins at its intersection with the tributary of Mud Creek, located upstream of Asheville Regional Airport. Among the new additions to this year's roll of impaired waterways in WNC are 6.5 miles of Ivy Creek in Madison County and 6.1 miles of Boylston Creek in Henderson County.

Many factors can lead to a stream's inclusion on this not-so-honorary roll, including high levels of bacteria, chemicals, sediment and turbidity; storm water that flushes pollutants such as oil, grease and gasoline into the water; and agricultural runoff that dumps fertilizers, pesticides and other farm chemicals into the riparian environment.

The culprit behind the French Broad's ongoing status as an impaired waterway is a high level of fecal coliform, which also is to blame for the addition of a portion of Ivy Creek to the list this year. Three years ago, Boylston Creek was on the verge of receiving additional protection, when it was subject of a push to reclassify it a trout stream with a 25-foot buffer zone to guard against impacts from nearby development; that effort was derailed by the state legislature in 2011, allowing development to occur without the additional buffer.

Those who are concerned about poor water quality in the region's streams are being encouraged by the Division of Water Resources to get involved. Residents, municipal and county officials and river stewardship organizations have the opportunity to review the state report and to offer comments. Deadline for doing so is March 14, with the final report due from the state to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by April 1.

In addition, state agencies and environmental organizations are asking residents to serve as their eyes and ears, to act as de facto river keepers through proactive behavior that protects this precious natural resource. That's because the factors affecting decreased water quality have evolved over the years from primarily industrial discharges into streams or agricultural causes such as chemical runoff and farm animals releasing waste into unfenced areas of creeks.

Today's sources of water pollution are not as easy to spot. The bigger problem these days in the mountains, says Ed Williams, of the Division of Water Resources, is that increased population and development has led to increased sedimentation. "When you clear land for development, you have streets, infrastructure, parking lots creating impervious services, which increases the rate of runoff in the streams," says Williams. "In the mountains with steeper topography, when it rains, it erodes at a faster rate."

Among the steps that residents can take is simply to be aware of their own activities - and those of their neighbors - that can negatively affect water quality, says Seriesse Baker, of the Environmental and Conservation Organization.

"What people can do is to look out for streams in their own communities, watch runoff and make sure pollutants don't run off into rivers, create rain gardens, watch impervious surfaces," Baker says.

As she points out, it's a matter of being a good neighbor because "? we all live upstream of someone else."

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Keep fighting for a cleaner French Broad

In response to a recent front-page story in this newspaper about the French Broad River's lingering appearance on the list of North Carolina impaired waterways, one local wag commented something